May 19, 2026, a thought for today, When knowledge is least the will is strongest. Norwegian Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge yesterday was “I love this time of day.” I picked this one for the quiet and peace I felt in it with the type of light available at that time and the shadow quietly existing. 

The next upload was “my choice” and one of my series of “in camera filters.” This dandelion in the weed and bricks seemed great models for this sketch-like effect.

The last assignment for yesterday was simply “grass.” This is a portion of my backyard. 

Life today. I can’t believe how busy this day has been already. It’s not noon yet. I have been to the doctor for my regular six-month check up. My blood work had shown an increase in the kidney portion of the blood work. So I was concerned, I read it on “mychart” before seeing her. She said it is something we will watch but for now it is in a level that just needs awareness. My doctor did say she is not happy with my weight loss of six pounds. She said I need more protein. After that I stopped at Kroger to get Sue some apples and grapes.

When I got home, I got the bulletin finished and sent out for spot checks. Then checked and answered emails. Then got back to this letter before I leave for food pantry. 

After pantry I hope to get my photos finished and uploaded. I would like to get the newsletter finished but that is probably going to have to be moved to tomorrow morning. Something else I would like to add to this afternoons list is some more attention to the photo gallery wall project. That will have to be put off too. 

The word today is weep.  Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps, for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be. William Hazlitt. If you wish me to weep, you must mourn first yourself. Horace. Do not weep; do not wax indignant. Understand. Baruch Spinoza. Every winter, When the great sun has turned his face away, The earth goes down into a vale of grief, And fasts, and weeps, and shrouds herself in sables, Leaving her wedding-garlands to decay-- Then leaps in spring to his returning kisses. Charles Kingsley. Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. Bible, Matthew 2. 18. Arms are instruments of ill omen. . . . When one is compelled to use them, it is best to do so without relish. There is no glory in victory, and to glorify it despite this is to exult in the killing of men. . . . When great numbers of people are killed, one should weep over them with sorrow. When victorious in war, one should observe mourning rites. Lao-Tzu. Fear not for the future, weep not for the past. Percy Bysshe Shelley. We build statues out of snow, and weep to see them melt. Walter Scott. The very winds whispered in soothing accents, and maternal Nature bade me weep no more. Mary Shelley. I hasten to laugh at everything, for fear of being obliged to weep. Pierre Beaumarchais. A stable, changeless state, 'twere cause indeed to weep. William Cullen Bryant. Weep not that the world changes - did it keep a stable, changeless state, it were cause indeed to weep. William Cullen Bryant. I have drunk ale from the Country of the Young, And weep because I know all things now. William Butler Yeats. There is a certain pleasure in weeping; grief finds in tears both a satisfaction and a cure. Ovid. He does not weep who does not see. Victor Hugo. They who are sad find somehow sweetness in tears. Euripides. Instead of weeping when a tragedy occurs in a songbird's life, it sings away its grief. I believe we could well follow the pattern of our feathered friends. William Shakespeare.

Article summary. Since growing season is here, in my area of the world, I thought I would take a look and learn or refresh my memory on how important bees are to us, to life, really. The title is  Planning for spring’s garden? Bees like variety and don’t care about your neighbors’ yards. Laura Russo, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee. It began with explaining how flowering plants need animals for pollenation. The animals in turn need food. It went on to say that bees don’t particularly care about the landscape around the food (flowers). They are only interested in particular flowers. It doesn’t matter to them about what your neighbors are planting. The author and his team planted five gardens in different landscapes from “cattle pastures and organic farms to a botanical garden and an arboretum”. They were planted where each contained 18 species of native plant, mint, swanflower and pea. Over the season the team collected the insects on the flowers to count and determine their species. Each week they us a “Bug Vacs” while the flowers were in bloom for three years. Since they were looking for how the areas around the flowers might affect the counts, they looked for the different results in number of pollinators, the “diversity and identity”.  They found that the “surrounding terrain had very little influence”. As they planned the planting, they used native perennial plants because they had determined they were the variety of plant that was the best nutrition for the “visiting insects”. In some of their studies they had found that some pollinators provided nectar, others fat and protein. The article names some of the flowers and the nutrient it provided to the bees and suggested searching for which works best in and specific area of habitation you have an interest. It is mentioned that diversity in their food is just as important as it is in ours. One of the sentences was of particular interest, “human diets are linked to pollinators” and “most of the color and variety in human diets comes from plants pollinated by insects”. The article mentioned that pollinators are facing threats in loss of habitat and by use of pesticides. It ends by saying “insects love flowers”.

I think Welsh Rarebit again tonight for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

My first upload today is “I love to drink”. I caught a glimpse of the snacks put out for the visitors to our food pantry. I like lemonade so I chose this  image for my upload. 

The second challenge is another of the “my choice” and another of my series of “in camera filters”. This the line up of seating for our guest at food pantry with my touch of color and fun.

The last upload assignment is “texture”. This was also from our food pantry
rood. This is the tile in the ceiling. 

Joy

the bonus upload today is yesterday’s upload to my Fine Art America page. A still life of a red lily.

Want to shop? Visit: fineartamerica.com search for joy rector click on “view shop”  and redbubble.com search for jarector